Temperatures plunge to -21C as Toronto's cold snap continues

The cold snap that’s gripped Toronto and sent the temperature plunging continues, making this winter’s coldest day yet.

The mercury dipped to -21C Wednesday morning, feeling like -28C with the wind chill, as the city continued an extreme cold weather alert.

The high is expected to reach -9C during the day before dipping to -14C overnight.

According to Environment Canada, the arctic air mass that’s responsible for the frigid temperatures is expected to linger until the weekend. The temperature is anticipated to hit the above freezing mark by Monday, when the high is forecast at 1C.

Meanwhile, the City of Toronto marked the third consecutive day of an extreme cold weather alert, which triggers additional services for the city’s homeless population.

The city adds 172 shelter spaces and increases overnight street outreach services in the downtown core, with workers transporting people to warming centres if necessary.

The average temperature for this time hovers between -2C and -11C, according to Environment Canada. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Toronto on Jan. 23 was -31.1 C in 1976.